Welcome to Bimmerfest -- The #1 Online Community for BMW related information! Please enjoy the discussion forums below and share your experiences with the 200,000 current, new and past BMW owners. The forums are broken out by car model and into other special interest sections such as BMW European Delivery and a special forum to voice your questions to the many BMW dealers on the site to assist our members!

I have an 09 335i with the Dinan performance 2 package and 19 inch wheels. But I'm looking for something a little bigger and not quite as harsh. But I love the power. I am often in the mountains of AZ with 3 or 4 days a year of 4 inches of snow, but I'm often in Phoenix - no snow. I travel on a curving mountain road at 70+ MPH -lots of fun. (and usually no snow ever on that road)

Question#1 Will the 550 equal in real power what I currently have with Dinan and would all season tires in the winter work or is the 550xi a better choice. It seems that the 535 in a heavier car will not be as torquey as what I have now.

Question #2 All you guys have me scared to death about the numb steering and the weird vibrations and rubs when turning the wheel. That keeps me from going ahead with the new car. Somebody please straighten me out. I looked at the Panamera 4, which is underpowered, Audi is taking forever to release the A6 and A7 and MB gets me cross-eyed with the hood ornament.

I went from a 2009 porsche 911S to a BMW 550 xi M sport and I do not miss my porsche. The 400 hp twin turbo has plenty of torgue, performance, excellent handling, nice exhaust sound and with the 8 speed gets decent gas milage on the highway. I have had M3's and other porsche 911's in the past and my current car is so far my favorite car that I have ever driven. I put 1400 miles on it in 3 weeks going nowhere except going to work and joy rides. If you get a 550 xi order it with the M package it is worth every penny. I also really like the heads up display which at first was not sure I would but its great especially with the GPS showing you a hologram floating outside your car of where you need to turn.

I went from a 2009 porsche 911S to a BMW 550 xi M sport and I do not miss my porsche. The 400 hp twin turbo has plenty of torgue, performance, excellent handling, nice exhaust sound .

This is the first time I have heard the 550 exhaust being described as nice, much less noticeable. Most of the reviews and my limited experience in a non sport model found the exhaust sound subdued at best. Coming from a 911S, you obviously know what a good exhaust sound is and handling, so I found that intriguing. Does the sport model use different exhaust internals, as I though it was just a different tip shapes?

I do not know how the 550 m sport exhaust compares to the non sport models. The 550 xi M sport V8 has a very powerful throaty sound especially over 3500 rpm; it will put a big smile on your face. It reminds me of the sound of a corvette when you are around 4000 rpm. I want to add when you put the car in sport or sport plus modes the fuel injection is remapped adding more low end torque as well as a tighter suspension and tighter steering. You do not get this adjustable sport, sport +, normal and comfort modes in the non sport model.

I want to add when you put the car in sport or sport plus modes the fuel injection is remapped adding more low end torque as well as a tighter suspension and tighter steering. You do not get this adjustable sport, sport +, normal and comfort modes in the non sport model.

Thanks. I was under the mistaken impression that those sport modes mainly remapped the transmission shift points and tightened the throttle response and steering, as opposed to actual engine power changes or fuel injection modifications.

Question#1 Will the 550 equal in real power what I currently have with Dinan and would all season tires in the winter work or is the 550xi a better choice. It seems that the 535 in a heavier car will not be as torquey as what I have now.

Drive the car see what you think. Keepi in mind in AZ, if you wanna buy a car off the lot, the odds of them having a XI car is unlikely. If you want AWD you probably have to order one. The 535i already has tons of power, the 550i is a beast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paysonbmw

Question #2 All you guys have me scared to death about the numb steering and the weird vibrations and rubs when turning the wheel. That keeps me from going ahead with the new car. Somebody please straighten me out. I looked at the Panamera 4, which is underpowered, Audi is taking forever to release the A6 and A7 and MB gets me cross-eyed with the hood ornament.

When you went to buy the 335i, didn't everyone freak you out about the HPFP? Only the squeaky wheels get the grease. All the cars with no problems, you never hear about. I have a 3/10 production vehicle, and bot the car the first week it was out in mid June. I've had zero problems with the car and mine is loaded, I have every option except for the Night Vision, Active Steering and Active Cruise control. In a perfect world you should probably wait till the second year of production, but this doesn't guarantee a problem free car. It's a total crap shoot.

I have an 09 335i with the Dinan performance 2 package and 19 inch wheels. But I'm looking for something a little bigger and not quite as harsh. But I love the power. I am often in the mountains of AZ with 3 or 4 days a year of 4 inches of snow, but I'm often in Phoenix - no snow. I travel on a curving mountain road at 70+ MPH -lots of fun. (and usually no snow ever on that road)

Question#1 Will the 550 equal in real power what I currently have with Dinan and would all season tires in the winter work or is the 550xi a better choice. It seems that the 535 in a heavier car will not be as torquey as what I have now.

Question #2 All you guys have me scared to death about the numb steering and the weird vibrations and rubs when turning the wheel. That keeps me from going ahead with the new car. Somebody please straighten me out. I looked at the Panamera 4, which is underpowered, Audi is taking forever to release the A6 and A7 and MB gets me cross-eyed with the hood ornament.

If you added the Dinan tune to the 550, then you might want xDrive even in better weather conditions.

This is the first time I have heard the 550 exhaust being described as nice, much less noticeable. Most of the reviews and my limited experience in a non sport model found the exhaust sound subdued at best. Coming from a 911S, you obviously know what a good exhaust sound is and handling, so I found that intriguing. Does the sport model use different exhaust internals, as I though it was just a different tip shapes?

I totally agree. Framkly I think one of the biggest downsides to my 550ix is the engine/exhaust sound. The engine sounds VERY mechanical, like there are lots of noisy metal parts moving around. Not like the V8's in my MB's- they sound like smooth sewing machines with strong exhausts. All you can hear inside the car is the mechanical sound of the motor (it is hard to describe but it is not a pleasant one), virtually no exhaust noise...

My recommendation is to first test drive a 550. It's very, very different from your 335i. Power, size and comfort will probably blow you away but there could be other major differences that you don't expect.

I have an 09 335i with the Dinan performance 2 package and 19 inch wheels. But I'm looking for something a little bigger and not quite as harsh. But I love the power. I am often in the mountains of AZ with 3 or 4 days a year of 4 inches of snow, but I'm often in Phoenix - no snow. I travel on a curving mountain road at 70+ MPH -lots of fun. (and usually no snow ever on that road)

Question#1 Will the 550 equal in real power what I currently have with Dinan and would all season tires in the winter work or is the 550xi a better choice. It seems that the 535 in a heavier car will not be as torquey as what I have now.

Question #2 All you guys have me scared to death about the numb steering and the weird vibrations and rubs when turning the wheel. That keeps me from going ahead with the new car. Somebody please straighten me out. I looked at the Panamera 4, which is underpowered, Audi is taking forever to release the A6 and A7 and MB gets me cross-eyed with the hood ornament.

I have not experienced any vibration/rubs when turning the wheel of my 535xi. I'm not sure if that's because it's an x-drive and doesn't have the electric steering of the regular 535i or not. Honestly, I'm not sure if you'll be satisfied with the power of the 550 as I own a 535. But, I can tell you that you would not be satisfied with the 535 if you're going to compare it to the 335 w/Dinan. My wife has an 09 335 convertible and, despite the added weight of the convertible, it feels "zippier" than my 535x-drive. So, if you're looking for something that is at least as powerful as the 335i you presently have, go for the 550 or the Porsche Panamera S or the turbo model.

I totally agree. Framkly I think one of the biggest downsides to my 550ix is the engine/exhaust sound. The engine sounds VERY mechanical, like there are lots of noisy metal parts moving around. Not like the V8's in my MB's- they sound like smooth sewing machines with strong exhausts. All you can hear inside the car is the mechanical sound of the motor (it is hard to describe but it is not a pleasant one), virtually no exhaust noise...

Mine sounds great once you get above 3500 rpm. Maybe you are driving at a lower rpm ?

Mine sounds great once you get above 3500 rpm. Maybe you are driving at a lower rpm ?

Yes, I'm mostly talking about when you are idling. Especially if you start the car with the door open, it sounds like crap from the drivers seat. It sounds ok from behind and yes if you nail it it sounds good.

I've got a 550xi. It handles great in the snow with the all season tires. The forward traction is better than the all wheel drive Acura MDX (SUV) I had previously. Noticably better, not just a tweak. Not sure whether whether the snow tires would be better for stopping though!

I love the engine sound - I want it to be very quiet at low speeds and then growl when ramping up the RPMs, and that's what it does. I drive a lot in sport mode just to hear that. Makes me grin.

No issues on rubbing noise for me.

On the steering, make sure you compare it during high speed turning, not in the around-the-town driving. At lower speeds, the wheel is easier to turn than what you might expect (giving the sensation of numbness). At higher speeds, I think it has great feel and just the right amount of stiffness. For me, that is the ideal answer.

I test drove the 535 and then the 550. Then I went next door to MB and test drove the MB 550.
The verdict-I'm getting the BMW 550 with M sport. The power was more natural in the 550 rather than the 535. My opinion is that the 535 is already a bunch of money. Why not go all the way and get the power that the price demands. Also, the fuel economy will be the same as my Dinan 335. Regarding steering...I thought it steered fine and I have had two 3 series cars. When I test drove the MB550 it had a great engine and power, great seats; however on cornering it had more sway than the BMWs. I think the steering issues raised in the car magazines may apply to hard track driving. Unless you drive with a crash helmet, I defy anyone to say that there is a real problem with the steering. I drive in mountains and the 550 will be, for me, an excellent choice. I'll change tires in the winter.